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Visualization of Bacterial Resistance using Fluorescent Antibiotic Probes

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Published on: March 2, 2020

Net changes in antibiotic concentrations downstream from an effluent discharge.

Brian E Haggard¹, Leslie D Bartsch

¹Arkansas Water Resources Center, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, 203 Engineering Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA. haggard@uark.edu

Journal of Environmental Quality

|January 15, 2009

Summary

Antibiotics persist in streams, traveling kilometers downstream from wastewater treatment plants. This study quantifies their uptake, revealing they do not travel conservatively and are processed over large spatial scales.

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Published on: August 19, 2018

Area of Science:

Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Science
Ecotoxicology

Background:

Antibiotic occurrence in streams is documented, but functional perspectives on their transport and uptake are limited.
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent is a known source of antibiotics entering aquatic ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine net changes in antibiotic concentrations downstream of a WWTP effluent discharge.
To estimate the net uptake length, velocity, and areal uptake rate of antibiotics in a 3-km stream reach.

Main Methods:

Sampling of ten antibiotics and one degradation product in Mud Creek, Arkansas, over three seasons (June, September, December 2006).
Measurement of antibiotic concentrations in the water column downstream from the WWTP effluent.
Calculation of net uptake parameters (Snet, v(f-net), Unet) to quantify antibiotic retention and transport.

Main Results:

Ten antibiotics and one degradation product were detected downstream of the WWTP effluent.
All detected chemicals persisted in measurable concentrations over the 3-km stream reach.
Significant net retention of some antibiotics and one degradation product was observed, with kilometer-scale travel distances.

Conclusions:

Some antibiotics do not behave conservatively in streams, undergoing significant uptake and retention.
Antibiotic uptake processes occur over kilometer scales, linking WWTP effluent sources to downstream aquatic ecosystem processing.
The study highlights the importance of considering large spatial scales when assessing antibiotic fate and transport in rivers.